Fighting the Good Fight: Why On-Ice Violence Is Killing Hockey

Whether it's on-ice fist fights or head shots into the glass, hockey has become a nightly news spectacle with players pummeling and bashing each other across the ice like drunken gladiators. And while the NHL may actually condone on-ice violence as a ticket draw, diehard hockey fan and expert Adam Proteau argues against hockey's transformation into a thuggish blood sport. In Fighting the Good Fight, Proteau sheds light on the many perspectives of those in and around the game, with interviews of current and former NHL stars, coaches, general managers, and league executives.

The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend

In his prime, few could dispute Bobby Hull's athletic brilliance - the first to have five fifty-goal seasons, the highest scorer on the 1976 Canada Cup team, the first to use the slapshot as a scoring weapon, and the first hockey player to sign a million-dollar contract. With his body-builder torso, and his 100 mph volleys across a rink, the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did. With his publicized marital troubles and his defection from the NHL to the WHA, Hull's star began to fall, leaving him broke and in exile from the game.

Mr. Hockey: My Story

Big, skilled, tough on the ice, and nearly indestructible, Howe dominated both the sport and the record books like no one has before or since. Over an incredible six decades, the Hall of Famer had so many accomplishments that he set the record for the most records by any athlete ever in any sport. He also achieved the remarkable feat of playing for six years with his own two sons, Mark and Marty.

The Game: 20th Anniversary Edition

Widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written and lauded by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of All Time, The Game is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey. Intelligent and insightful, former Montreal Canadiens goalie and former President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Dryden captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans.

The Making of Slap Shot: Behind the Scenes of the Greatest Hockey Movie Ever Made

Even 30-odd years after Slap Shot's release, diehard hockey fans can still recite scenes of dialogue by heart, making lines like "putting on the foil" just common argot for the devoted. Yet many may be surprised to learn that the true story behind the making of the film is as captivating as the film itself. In The Making of Slap Shot, veteran sports writer Jonathon Jackson lets fans not only relive just how the film was made, but brings to light surprising facts (i.e., Al Pacino was the first choice for the role of Reggie Dunlop.

Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard

The much-anticipated debut from the Pulitzer Prize - winning New York Times reporter, Boy on Ice is a moving human story and behind-the-scenes account of a life lived in the glare of sporting fame. The tragic death of hockey star Derek Boogaard at 28 was front-page news across the country in 2011 and helped shatter the silence about violence and concussions in professional sports.

The Best Seat in the House: Stories from the NHL - Inside the Room, on the Ice…and on the Bench

A back-up goalie's hilarious behind-the-mask look at life in the NHLJamie McLennan spent 20 years playing professional hockey. Sort of. As the backup for such legendary goalies as Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall, Roberto Luongo, and Miikka Kiprusoff, he saw everything - except much playing time.

Stellicktricity: Stories, Highlights, and Other Hockey Juice from a Life Plugged into the Game

From the youngest general manager in NHL history to veteran on-air hockey analyst - Gord Stellick has seen it all, and now tells it all. Few have been given the opportunity to be on both sides of the hockey rink - managing the Leafs and the Rangers and then regaling his legion of TV and radio fans with the colourful insider knowledge he's amassed - about blockbuster trades, NHL stars, and the talent that got away.

The glory years for the Toronto Maple Leafs—four Stanley Cups in the 1960s—may be distant memories, but what the team lacks in recent accomplishments is made up for by their history, which is rich in drama, pathos, and, most of all, humor. Figures connected to the Maple Leafs from the 1950s to the present offer their best stories, including some new takes on the team’s legends

A Season in Time: Super Mario, Killer, St. Patrick, the Great One, and the Unforgettable 1992-93 NHL Season

Twenty years after the fact, the mere mention of the 1992-93 NHL season brings back vivid memories for hockey fans across North America. The last time that the Montreal Canadiens hoisted the Stanley Cup, Wayne Gretzky's last appearance in a playoff final, and Mario Lemieux's most inspirational season, these years are rightly considered some of the greatest in NHL history. Now, in A Season in Time, acclaimed hockey writer Todd Denault looks back to those heady days.

Pete Rose: An American Dilemma

Pete Rose played baseball with a singular and headfirst abandon that endeared him to fans and peers, even as it riled others--a figure at once magnetic, beloved and polarizing. Rose has more base hits than anyone in history, yet he is not in the Hall of Fame. Twenty-five years ago he was banished from baseball for gambling, then ruled ineligible for Cooperstown; today, the question "Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame?" has evolved into perhaps the most provocative in sports, a layered, slippery and ever-relevant moral conundrum.

Doc: A Memoir

A brutally honest memoir of talent, addiction, and recovery from one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. As a shy 19-year-old, Dwight Gooden swept into New York, lifting a team of crazy characters to World Series greatness and giving a beleaguered city a reason to believe. Then he threw it all away. Now, with fresh and sober eyes, the Mets’ beloved Dr. K shares the intimate details of his life and career, revealing all the extraordinary highs and lows: The hidden traumas in his close-knit Tampa family. The thrill and pressure of being a young baseball phenom in New York.

I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me

Joan Rivers is a groundbreaking, award-winning, internationally renowned entertainment goddess. She’s also opinionated - especially when it comes to people she hates. Like people who think giving birth is a unique achievement. Or well-adjusted - a.k.a. boring - ex-child stars who don’t even have a decent addiction. With all of her diverse experiences, it stands to reason that Joan has seen, done, said, and heard a lot of hateful things. Thank god, she took notes.

Publisher's Summary

A veteran hockey writer takes on hockey culture and the NHL, addressing the game's most controversial issue.

Whether it's on-ice fist fights or head shots into the glass, hockey has become a nightly news spectacle with players pummeling and bashing each other across the ice like drunken gladiators. And while the NHL may actually condone on-ice violence as a ticket draw, diehard hockey fan and expert Adam Proteau argues against hockey's transformation into a thuggish blood sport.

In Fighting the Good Fight, Proteau sheds light on the many perspectives of those in and around the game, with interviews of current and former NHL stars, coaches, general managers, and league executives, as well as medical experts.

One of the most well-known media figures on the hockey scene today, famous for his funny, feisty observations as a writer for the Toronto Star and The Hockey News and commentator on CBC radio and TV, Adam Proteau is also one of the few mainstream media voices who is vehemently anti-fighting in hockey. Not only is his book a plea to the game's gatekeepers to finally clamp down on the runaway violence that permeates the sport even at its highest level, he offers realistic suggestions on ways to finally clean the game up.

Includes interviews with medical experts on head injuries and concussions, as well as with other members of the media

The author not only wages an attack on the value of fighting in hockey, but also on the establishment hockey culture

Covering the most polarizing issue in hockey today, Fighting the Good Fight gives hockey fans and sports lovers everywhere a reason to stamp their feet and whistle at a rare display of eloquence and common sense.

Where does Fighting the Good Fight rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Adam Proteau is a man on a crusade. He can be annoying sometimes, but he has is facts and supporters. And what else does he need? This book gives you basis for making your own decision, but you really need to listen this with a open mind. Just maybe, our game isn't what it could be?

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Less anger against people who don't think like him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me angry at times. Sometimes at the book, but most of the time at the stupidity and greed.

Any additional comments?

If you are into professional ice hockey, you need to educate your self. This is a good place to start educating your self about player safety.

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